Youth Violence Prevention Grant Opportunities

Two funding opportunities aimed at preventing youth violence have been announced by the U.S. Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services.

The National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention Expansion Project
In 2010, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education launched the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention in an effort to begin a national conversation about youth and gang violence and work with localities to design strategies that reduce violence and improve the well-being of children and their communities. Since 2010, several cities - Boston, Camden, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Salinas, and San Jose – have participated in the Forum as they strive to align and coordinate existing resources and engage youth, the faith community, law enforcement, victim services, and other key partners in youth violence prevention efforts.

The Forum is expanding and invites applications from localities that are invested in preventing youth violence. The primary objective of the Forum expansion project is to guide successful localities to develop a draft comprehensive action plan to address youth violence within the first six months of the award. Comprehensive plans will include strategies for prevention, intervention, enforcement, and reentry.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) anticipates selecting as many as five new sites to join the Forum’s participating sites. Eligible applicants are limited to units of local government, including state agencies (only if targeted to a local community), and federally recognized tribal governments that are currently implementing violence prevention strategies. Applications are due June 23, 2014.

Click here to learn more about the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention Expansion Project.

Minority Youth Violence Prevention (MYVP): Integrating Public Health and Community Policing Approaches
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recognizes that, although the health of our nation has improved in recent decades, youth violence remains a great challenge among racial and ethnic minority populations. According to the announcement, homicide is the second leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24 years old. However, among African American young people between the ages of 10 and 24, homicide is the leading cause of death.

HHS has launched the Minority Youth Violence Prevention (MYVP) initiative to integrate public health and violence prevention approaches in communities struggling with youth violence. Specifically, MYVP will support interventions that integrate violence prevention and crime reduction models with public health and community oriented policing approaches. Recognizing that tackling these complex challenges requires the support and expertise of community partners, this work will be doing in partnership among law enforcement agencies, public health agencies and other community entities.

HHS anticipates making 8-10 awards between $300,000 and $400,000. Eligible applicants include state and local governments, public health agencies, law enforcement agencies and nonprofit organizations. Applications are due June 13, 2014.

Click here to learn more information about this funding opportunity.